After The Confession: Yotsuba
by mediaocrity4
Summary: A series of events between Fuutarou's confession and inevitable wedding to Yotsuba.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Here it is, the second installment of After the Confession. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning Itsuki and I won't abandon any of these stories. I just want to jump around between these stories. Anyway, here's a story for if Fuutarou fell in love with Yotsuba.**

Chapter 1: Yotsuba's Confession

A bit of sadness overtook Yotsuba as she cleared out her desk. Their final exams had just come in. They had all passed. This would be the last day she would stand in this classroom. She looked over and saw Fuutarou's desk had already been cleared out. She thought for a painful moment, that she'd never see him again.

What a ridiculous thought. They were friends. They were so much more than schoolmates. After everything they had been through, there was no way he'd just abandon them. It gave Yotsuba hope, hope for her sisters, because the hope she had for herself had to stay buried for their sake.

"Our relationship with Uesugi-Kun has ended." Itsuki said as she finished cleaning her desk.

"Now he'll see us as more than just students." Miku said.

"Fuu-Kun isn't stupid, he already saw us as more than that." Nino said.

"Yes, but because of his position he had to keep a certain distance." Ichika stated.

"He'll probably make his decision soon." Yotsuba sighed as she held up one of her old homework assignments. There were red markings from where Fuutarou had helped her. No matter how much distance she put between the past and present, it wasn't enough. Itsuki was wrong, it wasn't the past that had bound her, it was the present. She admired the Fuutarou of the past, but she loved the present Fuutarou even more.

"Yotsuba, is this really okay?" Itsuki said.

"Can we please not talk about it?" Yotsuba said.

"Talk about what?" Miku asked.

"Hide it from Uesugi-Kun all you like, he's bound to figure it out eventually." Itsuki said. "You shouldn't hide it from us regardless."

"Hide…" A thought crossed Ichika's mind before she even finished her words. "I knew it."

"It's not fair to him, or yourself if he makes a decision without knowing everything you've done for him. Everything."

"Itsuki, can we not have this conversation right now?" Yotsuba said.

"If there really is no lingering feelings than why not tell him?" Itsuki asked.

"What am I supposed to do if he has lingering feelings?" Yotsuba said.

"If you want to be the martyr then that's the time to reject him." Itsuki scolded.

"I can't reject him because I love him!" Yotsuba shouted and then quickly covered her mouth.

The other sisters understood instantly. Nino and Ichika had seen the picture. The only one who hadn't was Miku and even she had heard brief mentions of a picture of Fuutarou and a young girl back in Middle School. Just on the limited evidence they had all already concluded that Yotsuba was that girl.

"Fuutarou-Kun...doesn't know?" Ichika gasped. "I, I thought he did when he…" During their recent school trip to Kyoto, Ichika had claimed to be that girl in order to get Fuutarou to fall for her. It backfired though and after that, Ichika assumed it was because he already knew or at the very least suspected.

"I'm...sorry." Yotsuba said as she stuffed everything in her backpack and headed for the door.

"Yotsuba!" Miku grabbed the fourth sister's arm. "Why? Why not tell us. Why spend so much time helping all of us?"

"Because as much as I love him, I know I don't deserve him." Yotsuba broke free of Miku's grasp and opened the door.

Her heart sank. Standing in her way was none other than Fuutarou. He had heard everything. This was just another play by fate to punish Yotsuba for the way she had treated her sisters after their mom died. That's what she thought. That's what she thought every time she saw a concerned look on his face.

"Yo...tsu...ba." His mouth formed the words and she pushed past him and started running.

"Why does this always happen when you're around?" Nino groaned. Ichika bolted out the door after Yotsuba, chasing her down.

"Yotsuba...loves me?" It's like he had found the missing piece of the puzzle. Everything began to click in his mind. She was the one from back then. He had suspected as much, or at least narrowed it down to Itsuki or her. Taking into account the distinct possibility of multiple quints coming at him as that girl over time, and what Rena had done, it could have only been one of those two. And that thought filled Fuutarou with joy.

"Don't just stand around, let's go look for her." Nino said.

"Fuutarou?" Miku said as she passed by. "Why did you come back?"

"That's not important." Itsuki stated. "We're no longer high school students. We can start being honest about our feelings. People like Yotsuba just need an extra push."

Meanwhile, Ichika had lost sight of Yotsuba. The first sister was far from the most athletic. She stayed in relative good shape but only enough to keep her impressive figure. Yotsuba was the only one with actual athletic talents.

"Yotsuba!" Ichika called out. She jumped down a flight of stairs and turned the corner. "It's okay! You're not the only one!"

Yotsuba could hear her calls from her hiding place. Ichika didn't understand. Yotsuba had known right away who Fuutarou was and was scared. She spent so much time hiding the truth from him, that she felt she didn't deserve to have him. It was a vicious cycle, she was unworthy because of how she had treated people and she treated them that way because she was unworthy. All she could do was support Fuutarou and her sisters no matter what, and now they were trying to take that away. She may have loved him for all this time, but she couldn't live with herself if she competed, especially if it meant getting in Miku and Nino's way.

She managed to give Ichika the slip and left the school grounds. She wandered around for a little bit. Her phone was ringing non-stop. Everyone was trying to get ahold of her. They all worried about her even though she didn't want them to. She was fine, everything would be fine. She just needed to calm down and then ...she needed a way to convince Fuutarou of the lie she had been telling herself all year. That them, together, would never happen.

Maybe it was by instinct, that she ended up at that park. She jumped on the swing and started gazing out towards all the houses where all the families would slowly be reuniting for their nightly rituals like dinner and bed. Yotsuba thought of her own family. Her father was never around. Itsuki had betrayed her. Miku, Nino and Ichika no longer had any reason to trust her in their own pursuits of Fuutarou. And the man himself, she was too embarrassed to answer his call.

"Uesugi-San." She rehearsed. She actually didn't like calling him that. It was the most formal way she could properly address him. "Uesugi-San." She swung harder and faster. That name was just another shell. How could anyone address someone they love in such formal language. "Uesugi-San!" It was no use. Everytime she had come to these swings she managed to suppress her feelings. "Fuutarou-Kun." It slipped out. It felt so much better to call him by his first name, just as she had done that day all those years ago. And that joy in her heart caused her to break down. She stopped swinging and started crying.

"I thought I'd find you here." She closed her eyes, wishing that his voice was only in her head and that he wasn't really seeing her like this. "Yotsuba." He took a seat next to her and started swinging.

"You must think I'm pathetic." Yotsuba said. "Crying over a boy I don't even like."

"You're not pathetic because I know when you're lying." Fuutarou said. "I already suspected that you were Rena, or had some hand in it. But why hide it if you felt this way?"

"Because I don't deserve you. We made a promise to study hard to help the people we loved. You did that. You've done so much to help Raiha and everyone else and I…"

"You underestimate the effort you've made." Fuutarou tried stopping her.

"I rejected them. I tried to be special. I tried being the best and I pushed them away. I didn't want them getting in my way ever again. I didn't want to be one-fifth of a complete set. That's why ...that's why I loved you. You were the first person who saw me for me and not as one of the Nakano quintuplets. And I ruined everything."

"That doesn't matter now." Fuutarou said. "Thank you for back then. It did a lot to help me. And regardless of how you might have treated your sisters in between our meetings, you have done more work to help me get through to them than anyone."

"It's the only thing I can do sense it's my fault we needed you anyway." Yotsuba said as she started swinging again. "I could have helped them but I didn't. I didn't help them or accept their help. That's why I failed. But even after everything I did, they refused to let me go."

"That's what love will do to people. They never gave up on you and neither did I."

"It's cruel. Back then, it was actually Ichika that came and played cards with you. That was when I decided to wear this bow. I didn't want them to ever get in my way again. And when I found out Miku was in love with you, I knew it was fate testing me."

"What if it is? And your current actions are going to make you fail. I know Miku and Nino and probably even Ichika have feelings for me. But ultimately, the choice is my own. You don't get to decide what's on my heart." He kicked forward a couple times before launching off the swing. He measured the distance where he landed. He had beaten the distance Yotsuba had cleared. "Yotsuba, you're the one I love."

"Fuutarou-Kun." Yotsuba stopped swinging again, letting her momentum die down. "Don't say that."

"It's true, and not because of the past we share, but for everything you've done for me. Without your mistakes, we might not have ever met again. Isn't that a less cruel way of looking at fate? And it was your own efforts that made me who I am now. Even if my feelings for you were different, I would still want to acknowledge your efforts. It's only fair."

"Uesugi-San." Yotsuba steeled her nerves. The pendulum has swung too far. He was speaking crazy now. "You're such a kidder you!" She did her best to downplay the whole conversation. "Saying such crazy things to cheer me up."

"Yotsuba, thanks for always being on my side." He stepped right in front of her. "Let me have this. You don't have to bury your feelings anymore. I love you."

A whirlwind of emotion swept over the young girl as she was hoisted into Fuutarou's arms. Her lips smacked against his creating fireworks in her soul. This is what she always wanted. She always hoped against hope that Fuutarou would remember and confess to her. She tried killing that dream for her sisters' sake. But that dream came true.

"I love you too, Fuutarou-Kun. I always have."

**AN: Honestly, with the themes of destiny throughout the series and how much work Yotsuba has put in, not to mention Fuutarou's whole "let's be fair not equal" speech from the bonfire arc, I do actually think Yotsuba has the best chance of pulling out a victory. And I can see it going something like this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Doing another Yotsuba chapter before I jump ship to Miku. I've had this idea for a long time, and is actually based on my own college experience. Obviously, a lot of it is altered to fit the story and such.**

Chapter 2: Yotsuba's Run

Yotsuba woke up from one of the best nights of sleep she had ever had. She felt refreshed and energetic, and her body was all tingly. Her only regret was that she woke up in the middle of the best part of her dream.

She watered her plants and brushed her teeth before getting dressed. She had plants for the day and had been eagerly awaiting this chance. She put on her jogging suit and bow and grabbed her phone. There was already a cute message from Fuutarou telling her good morning. She sent him one back covered in heart emojis.

Down the stairs and in the main room, Yotsuba spotted Miku. The third sister was watching the news and drinking some tea. She hadn't done much in the last couple days aside from work, sleep and eat. Ichika and Nino had both expressed worries about her. Yotsuba took it to heart, and blamed herself. She was so caught up in her happiness, that she just took her sister's word for it. She hadn't stopped to think that maybe Miku and the others were silently suffering as she had, too proud or too scared to admit that they were depressed over losing the battle for Fuutarou's heart.

"Miiiiiikuuuuuuu!" Yotsuba hollered as she slid down the stairs. "You off today?"

"Yeah." Miku sighed.

"Well, I was planning on having Ebata-San drive me over to the Uesugi's to meet up with Fuutarou-Kun." Miku clenched up at Yotsuba's words. The fourth sister was right! She was still bummed over that. On one hand, Yotsuba felt extremely guilty. On the other hand, that meant it was her job to set things right. "We're going to go on a lengthy jog. You're more than welcome to come."

"I don't know." Miku said. "I'm not exactly cut out for that sort of thing."

"You're better than Fuutarou-Kun." Yotsuba quipped. That got a smile out of Miku. "Come on, it'll be good for you. You'll feel a lot better. And you won't have to worry about what Fuutarou-Kun and I are up to."

Miku shot daggers at Yotsuba. Even though the third sister had long made peace with the possibility that Fuutarou would choose someone else, Yotsuba had come as a surprise. Miku had trusted her, and now wondered if all of Yotsuba's efforts had been genuine. Of course they were, so she thought, but a broken heart was the pathway of many doubts. And Miku, had a long history of doubting herself.

"But I'm not as good as you." Miku said. "You're so cheery and you have so much love for everyone. You're everything Fuutarou could have ever wanted. Plus you never hesitate to ask for help, or to help others. And you're amazing at sports and ..."

"I can't cook." Yotsuba interrupted her. "Remember the three things Fuutarou looks for in a girl? Yeah, he was talking about Raiha, but I know you took them to heart. That's why you put so much effort into learning how to cook and now look at you. You'd give Nino a run for her money."

"What's this about cooking?" A sleepy Itsuki said as she slumbered into the room.

"Itsuki, help me convince Miku to go on a run with Fuutarou-Kun and I."

"That's nice." Itsuki said as she zombied into the kitchen. "I'll come too."

"See Miku, Itsuki will come with us!" Yotsuba cheered. Miku didn't change her expression. "Come on, you're making me and everyone else sad just moping around here."

"You're right." Miku said. "I was just so frustrated. Like, there's this part of me that thinks I just wasn't good enough."

"We all love you." Yotsuba said. "And I swear, I'll make sure that your efforts stay acknowledged." She walked behind her sister and pulled her hair up in a bun. "Come on, Fuutarou-Kun will be expecting us soon."

Later that day, the four of them were rounding the block towards the Nakano apartment. Yotsuba was in the lead, barely building up a sweat. Itsuki was right behind her. Fuutarou and Miku were neck and neck, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.

"Must...drink...water." Fuutarou said.

"Come on, we're almost there." Yotsuba spun around and ran backwards a few paces while she said that.

"Where the hell does she get all this energy?" Fuutarou huffed.

"And we made it!" Yotsuba cheered. Itsuki slumped down against the wall. Fuutarou doubled over. Miku dropped to the ground and unzipped her top a little bit. "That was a good run." She jumped over and hit Fuutarou in the back. "Gotta get your back straight."

"Yotsuba what are…." He paused as Yotsuba wrapped her arms around him and straightened out his back.

"Deep, slow breaths." Yotsuba whispered. "You'll build up your stamina before too long."

"I guess, I gotta do something to occupy my time when there's nothing that needs to be studied." He whispered back.

"You can always study me." Yotsuba giggled.

"Yotsuba, that's way too forward!" Itsuki shouted.

"You're the only one that thought of it that way." Miku said. She had also thought of it that way. Yotsuba had meant it that way. She had just decided to mess with Itsuki.

They moved their conversation into the apartment. Yotsuba called for the first shower, leaving Fuutarou with the other two girls. Itsuki went into her room to get ready. Fuutarou went into the fridge and grabbed a can of matcha soda. He walked over to Miku and placed it on her cheek, causing her to eep.

"Yotsuba is amazing." Fuutarou said.

"Yeah." Miku grabbed the soda can and popped it open.

"You know, when we first met, you and Nino especially, were really caught up in the whole quintuplet thing. And yeah, hypothetically you all could have turned out to have the same skills, but your efforts went in different directions."

"Yeah, we all played sports when we were kids. Nino and I didn't like it, but Yotsuba did. It was the first sign that we were becoming different. She was the first odd one out and did a lot to differentiate herself. Itsuki and I followed suit."

"Yeah, Yotsuba is the one who got you into video games, right?" Fuutarou recalled. Miku smiled at the fact he remembered such a little detail.

"Said they'd interfere with her studies. I never really thanked you for that. I guess that was the impact you had on her back then. And without that, you wouldn't have gotten through to me the way you did."

"I would have found a way." Fuutarou said. "But thanks for all your help too."

"Alright I'm done!" Yotsuba cheered as she jumped out of the bathroom.

"That was quick." Itsuki said as she snuck in there.

"It's good to see you two still getting along." Yotsuba said as she squeezed in between them. Fuutarou couldn't help but admire her tank top and short shorts. And she was agonizingly close to him. She seemed to notice and in his embarrassment, he covered his mouth and looked away.

"I'm glad." Miku said. "That if I lost, it was to someone who always loved and supported you Fuutarou."

"Yeah." Fuutarou said.

"AWWW, I love my family!" Yotsuba wrapped her arms around the two of them and pulled them closer. Miku just rolled with it. Fuutarou on the other hand started silently screaming inside.

"Alright." Fuutarou broke free of Yotsuba's grip. "We should probably stretch our limbs to keep them from cramping. And I'm getting hungry."

"I'll make some lunch when I'm done with the shower." Miku said.

"Nice." Fuutarou said.

The three of them sat there, making small talk about the games Miku had been playing recently and how work had been going. When Itsuki was done, she joined them and Miku ran up to take her shower. As soon as she was out of earshot, Yotsuba sprawled out on Fuutarou's lap.

"You're one of the only people that can make that girl genuinely smile." Yotsuba said.

"It's because I'm one of the first people who actually took those parts she thought made her a loser, and told her that's what made her special and cool." Fuutarou explained.

"I could marry you right now." Yotsuba said. "You're everything we ever needed. You did a lot better job fulfilling your promise than I did."

"All I could do was help. The effort was entirely up to you." He smiled.

"It's nice." Itsuki said, finally joining in the conversation. "This is exactly what our family needed. The kind of help money can't buy."

"Money is still a good motivating factor." Fuutarou joked.

"Just shut up when I'm praising you." Itsuki huffed.

Fuutarou was looking forward to more days like this. These girls, even after graduation, always made him feel needed. And he'd run to the ends of the Earth if that's what Yotsuba wanted to do. They all had their special qualities, but Yotsuba was that much more special in his heart.

**AN: The narrative kinda slipped from me there. But, I'm writing this to have wholesome cute moments and if I can deliver on that then mission accomplished.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Now, I was going to do the first Ichika chapter before jumping back into any of these, but after some thinking, with her focus in the current arc, I'm going to hold off on that and see if I can use it as a better launching point.**

Chapter 3: Yotsuba's Plants

None of the Nakanos had moved out of their father's apartment yet. Ichika had talked about getting her own place and Yotsuba had joked about moving in with the Uesugis, but so far nothing had come from it. As far as Fuutarou knew, it was better this way. Their father was almost never home, and what little sleep he got was in his office at the hospital.

The apartment was the quintuplets' playground. They had full permission to do with it whatever they wanted. They were all adults now. Nino at least suspected he would slowly start having them pay for everything. He just wanted them to be happy, and this was his way of showing it.

The plus side to this arrangement is that Fuutarou could drop by whenever he wanted. He didn't have very many friends he liked hanging out with outside the quints. And now that he was dating Yotsuba, he could show up unannounced whenever he felt. Though, in this case it had been a few days.

He punched in their room number and buzzed in. He was sure Yotsuba would be home at the very least, and Ichika had recently gotten back from a lengthy movie shoot and so she should be there as well.

"Fuu-Kun?" The tone of voice, and the way she addressed him, it must be Nino. "What are you doing here?"

"A surprise visit." Fuutarou said.

"Come on in." Nino sighed. The doors opened, letting him into the building. He took the elevator up to their place. Nino was waiting for him outside the door. "I swear, we should just get you a key card."

"Wouldn't I have to move in first?"

"I wouldn't be opposed to that."

"Your father would."

"Which is why we haven't broached the subject yet." She opened the door to let him in. "Yotsuba is up in her room."

Fuutarou nodded and walked up to the third door after the stairway. As he knocked it dawned on him that he had never actually seen Yotsuba's room. Everytime he had tutored them, she had already been downstairs and ready. And when they were at their other apartment, he didn't go into any of their rooms.

"Yotsuba?" He opened the unlocked door.

"Huh, Fuutarou-Kun?" Yotsuba turned to face him. She had some dirt smeared on her face and was wearing overalls and thick gloves. "A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."

"What are you doing?" Fuutarou said as he took in the sight. Her walls were lined with fluorescent lights and a wide variety of plants. Yotsuba was hunched over a bonsai tree with a pair of scissors in her hand.

"Just...taking care of the babies." Yotsuba replied as she tried wiping dirt off her face but she ended up just smearing it.

"Here." Fuutarou said as he took a handkerchief and wiped her face clean. "I knew you took care of plants but I didn't know you had so many."

"I actually just got a bunch more." Yotsuba said. "The more the merrier."

"Aren't you worried you'll overdo it?"

"I know my limits. I can take care of all these, and keep up with all my usual exercise and work."

"So long as you're sure." Fuutarou sat down next to her and watched her work. He didn't know much about plants.

"I started taking care of plants after our mom died." Yotsuba said as she continued working. "It made me feel useful you know. When you have plants, you have to take responsibility, and unlike an animal pet, plants won't remind you they need water."

"Huh, I never took to gardening." Fuutarou said.

"I have some books if you want to take a day to study up." Yotsuba said.

"That might be the first time you ever told me to study."

"I'm not going to make you. And even if I was going to make you, it wouldn't be the first time I tried teaching you something for a change. Remember our ski trip?"

"How can I forget?" Fuutarou said with a smile. "Even though it was disastrous…."

"I'd rather not talk about it. I really screwed up, even if you did enjoy some of it." Yotsuba laughed nervously. "You know...I think you'd actually be pretty good at taking care of plants. You can get pretty unstoppable when you set your mind to something."

"And...you did a number on us." Nino said as she joined them. "What do you want for lunch?"

"Oh you don't have to Nino. I'll make lunch." Fuutarou said.

"No, you're our house guest. You two can stay up here. I'll let you know when it's ready."

"Okay!" Yotsuba saluted. "We'll wake Ichika up when it's ready."

"Okay, but what do you want?" Nino said with an annoyed tap of her foot.

"Just make sandwiches." Fuutarou said.

"Yeah, I don't mind."

"Okay, they'll be done in just a few minutes so go ahead and try waking Ichika up." Nino said as she left the room.

"Is….she doing okay?" Fuutarou asked.

"She has gotten a little snippy with me lately." Yotsuba said. "Her and Ichika both. But, they always um ...it's uh….."

"I think I get the idea." Fuutarou said.

"Thank goodness, I didn't want to talk about how they're on their period." The moment gave them pause. Fuutarou blushed as he listened for the little hamster wheel in Yotsuba's head went into overdrive. "Oh. Oops."

"Well, if that's all there is to it." Fuutarou said.

"Maybe you should maybe talk to them though. I don't like it when tensions get high like this. Nino keeps saying she's happy for me, but as her sister I know she's hurting."

"Ever try going out and having her meet people?"

"Shishishi, I don't know, that's more Ichika's thing anyway." Yotsuba scratched the back of her head.

They left the room and walked to the end of the hall. Yotsuba went in first to check on Ichika. Sense the door didn't open right away, he assumed that Ichika wasn't in the most proper attire. He sighed and walked downstairs to join Nino and wait for the others.

"It's funny." Nino started up a conversation right away. "It's like we were all identical flowers, but then we all changed."

"It's more like you were all stalks of grain, that then got made into five different meals." Fuutarou responded. "Nice metaphor regardless."

"Thanks."

"How have things been, in your perspective?"

"It's been alright." Nino played it off. "I'm really happy for Yotsuba. She's always been on your side, even before Miku was. And hearing her talk, and finally open up about everything, I feel ashamed. She loved you for that long and I never knew. What kind of identical sister am I?"

"You're not all that similar, and that's for the best." Fuutarou said.

"Want to know the worst part?" Nino's eyes averted his gaze. "I want to be happy for her. I know the right thing to do would be to hug her and tell her how happy I am for her. I want to bless your union with all my heart. But I can't. I haven't gotten over the jealousy."

"Yotsuba suspected as much." Fuutarou said. "I understand you're ashamed, but there's no reason for it. Tell Yotsuba, let her help you. Because she's not going to be truly happy until all of you are happy."

"I know that better than you." Nino said.

"Maybe that's why she loves plants so much." Fuutarou looked above the second sister and saw Yotsuba and Ichika coming down. The two stopped when they heard him talking. "When you work as hard as she does, they prosper. It's a never ending reminder of how beautiful the fruits of her labors can be."

**AN: One fixation I have with Yotsuba and Itsuki is that, the others have no idea about their feelings (though Ichika has probably figured Yotsuba out) and so it's an easy source of conflict that writes itself. Anyway, I'll catch y'all next time.**


End file.
